The present disclosure relates generally to well drilling operations and, more particularly, to drilling fluid analysis using Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
During the drilling of subterranean wells, a fluid is typically circulated through a fluid circulation system comprising a drilling rig and fluid treatment/storage equipment located substantially at or near the surface of the well. The fluid is pumped by a fluid pump through the interior passage of a drill string, through a drill bit and back to the surface through the annulus between the well bore and the drill string. As the well is drilled, gasses from the formation may be released and captured in the fluid as it is circulated. In some instances, the gas may be wholly or partially extracted from the fluid for analysis. The gas analysis may be used to determine characteristics about the formation. The sensitivity and speed of the gas analysis may affect the accuracy and reliability of the analysis data and, therefore, the accuracy of the formation characteristics determined using the analysis data.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.